They seem to have pillaged the back catalogue rather than developed something new.

Why are you being negative? Also, they cannot rob what is already theirs. They tried developing new Graphites several times: EXO Graphite, NXG, Triple Threat Graphite and Graphite II. They never sold all that well. They are trying to give the public what they seem to want, the originals.

They seem to have pillaged the back catalogue rather than developed something new.

ESP is new and there are eight ESP racquets. Pro racquets are new, and there are three. There hasn't been a 27" Graphite 100 before. They have a number of new strings coming out. It looks like three new polys and an update and rename to Beast. It looks like two of the three multis are new as Premier Control is renamed Attack. They have a few new bags coming out. A new O-Damp.

Many people think that the old Prince balls were the best, so why come out with a "new" one?

^^ Would agree they've recycled more than innovated here, some new paint but not much else new besides ESP. Lopping an inch off the Graphite 100 is hardly revolutionary. "A new O-Damp"!!! What will they think of next? I think the point here is that it looks like the venture capitalists behind the recovery from bankruptcy are trying to do this a bit on the cheap rather than pour lots of money into development, which may not bode well for the future.

^^ Would agree they've recycled more than innovated here, some new paint but not much else new besides ESP. Lopping an inch off the Graphite 100 is hardly revolutionary. "A new O-Damp"!!! What will they think of next? I think the point here is that it looks like the venture capitalists behind the recovery from bankruptcy are trying to do this a bit on the cheap rather than pour lots of money into development, which may not bode well for the future.

The new Graphite 100 is a completely new "recipe," but from the same mold. So, in essence, it's a new frame (not a sawed off version of the longbody). I was fortunate enough to get to hit with some of the early prototypes (4 different versions of the 27 inch), and they continued to tweak the frames even after that. A good amount of development went into the new version.

If using the same mold is a problem, then you should be looking at every single manufacturer. Wilson and it's 6.1 models, Head Prestiges and Radicals. Complete frame redesigns don't (and shouldn't, IMO) happen every product cycle. There needs to be some consistency for the consumer.

Finally, in addition to the new ESP frames, there are 3 Pro frames coming out as well. That's 4 new Premier frames, 3 new Warriors (Pro, and 2 ESPs), and 4 new Tours (ESP and Pro versions in 100 and 98 headsizes). That's 11 new models, plus updated Classics.

^^ I was looking at their overall catalogue that someone posted and had that sense of not very much all that new. Your comment about product cycles is appreciated, but this is a company that really dropped out of the market for a year or two for all practical purposes, and consequently needs a bit more of a raison d'etre when it re-enters, as it seems to be doing with some measure of ceremony now. The result has been racquets similar to those of years ago except for the spin technology that their major competitor has been selling for some time now. I wonder if it will be enough.

^^ I was looking at their overall catalogue that someone posted and had that sense of not very much all that new. Your comment about product cycles is appreciated, but this is a company that really dropped out of the market for a year or two for all practical purposes, and consequently needs a bit more of a raison d'etre when it re-enters, as it seems to be doing with some measure of ceremony now. The result has been racquets similar to those of years ago except for the spin technology that their major competitor has been selling for some time now. I wonder if it will be enough.

What would you have them do? If it were your company, how would you approach it?

I got a chance to see and play test the entire new line of Prince racquets at the IART symposium at Saddlebrook last month. The entire line looks and feels very impressive. Lots of variety with a mix of old style racquets with traditional grommets and new speed ports too. I have to admit I was partial to the traditional grommets racquets, but they were all very solid frames.

The new parent company is really fixed behind the new Prince line and quality seemed high. Looks like Prince may have a really good return to tennis, I think some people will be pleasently surprised.

The new Graphite 100 is a completely new "recipe," but from the same mold. So, in essence, it's a new frame (not a sawed off version of the longbody). I was fortunate enough to get to hit with some of the early prototypes (4 different versions of the 27 inch), and they continued to tweak the frames even after that. A good amount of development went into the new version.

If using the same mold is a problem, then you should be looking at every single manufacturer. Wilson and it's 6.1 models, Head Prestiges and Radicals. Complete frame redesigns don't (and shouldn't, IMO) happen every product cycle. There needs to be some consistency for the consumer.

Finally, in addition to the new ESP frames, there are 3 Pro frames coming out as well. That's 4 new Premier frames, 3 new Warriors (Pro, and 2 ESPs), and 4 new Tours (ESP and Pro versions in 100 and 98 headsizes). That's 11 new models, plus updated Classics.

How do we guage the reformulated Prince company's success? I wonder what they will consider "success". Obviously, if they sell a lot of equipment, they should be happy. I''m sure they don't expect to regain the market share that Prince had during it's heyday, as the competition is deeper than it used to be.

I'd considered any "good" sales figures a success, such that they're breaking even (at least to start) or making a profit.

But, I'd really like to have Prince have success with sponsorships again - getting a Prince frame into the hands of up and coming players, and eventually an actual top player.

But, Prince hasn't been a major player for a while and there's a generation of young players who have been developing with frames other than Prince. So it's really an uphill climb. They're going to have to be aggressive and really offer some good deals in terms of player packages for juniors and college players.